Hood River, OR, WPH Press, 5/31/26
Written by Nick Flores
The 10th annual Hood River Invitational, hosted by the Hood River Handball Association and sponsored by the World Players of Handball, was held on Saturday, May 30th at the Elks Lodge in Hood River, Oregon.
The Stenberg family hosted the cherished event for the tenth year, marking a milestone for the fan-favorite invitational tournament. Forty handball players from across the northwest and beyond arrived in the scenic riverfront town to enjoy the hospitality and camaraderie for which the Hood River Invitational is famous.
The tournament format splits players into two divisions, pairing partners together based on skill level.
Division Two
Jesse Guzman (Hillsboro) and Dan Tatum (Beaverton) claimed the Division Two title by defeating Randy Stender (Eugene) and Ron Harder (Hood River). Both teams were undefeated in pool play to reach the championship match, setting up a showdown of evenly matched teams. Both games in the final were competitive, but Team Guzman/Tatum found a way to pull away late in each game, winning 15-8, 15-7 to secure the title.
Division One
In the first semifinal, Jorge Pimentel (Portland) and Adam Bogle (Eugene) defeated Kyle English (Beaverton) and Ed Fredenburgh (Beaverton) to reach the finals, while Cody Townsend (Eugene) and Nate Boyden (Beaverton) defeated Stephen Stenberg (Beaverton) and Sebastian Ortiz (Portland) to advance to the championship match.
In the finals, Pimentel got off to a hot start, hitting flat kills and blistering passes to keep his opponents off balance. Townsend and Boyden both made numerous amazing retrieves and diving gets to extend the rallies, but Pimentel was always there to make the rally-ending play, leading Team Pimentel/Bogle to a 15-5 first game victory. Game two would prove to be much closer, as Townsend got into a rhythm and was able to match Pimentel’s pressure, moving him up and then passing him. Bogle, using his decades of experience, began rotating back at the right moments to cover Pimentel, and through their teamwork, Team Pimentel/Bogle were able to pull out a nailbiter of a second game, 15-14, to claim the championship.
Season-Ending Banquet
Following the conclusion of the matches, the players headed into the Elks Lodge banquet hall for the season-ending banquet. The beneficiary of this year’s tournament was LeeAnn Lawrence, a teenage girl recovering from a years-long battle with medulloblastoma. Thankfully LeeAnn is in remission, but she must now fight to regain her ability to walk, as well as recover from hearing and vision damage due to the chemotherapy.
The Hood River Handball Association was proud to announce that the 2026 Hood River Invitational had raised over $6000 to help the Lawrence family with her medical and therapy expenses. LeeAnn and her family were in attendance for the banquet to share her story and thank the participants.
Thank you to the Hood River Handball Association and the Stenberg family for hosting this fantastic event. To learn more about the HRHA, please contact them at hoodriverha@gmail.com.
Thank you to the World Players of Handball for their continued sponsorship of the Hood River Invitational. To learn more about the WPH, please visit www.wphlive.tv.
Written by Nick Flores, Chairman
Oregon Handball Association
www.OregonHandball.org